Creating Save The Date Cards for Your Wedding

Though not required, save-the-date cards, which inform would-be guests of when and where your wedding will take place, are helpful – particularly if many guests will have to travel to the wedding, if it will take place during a holiday weekend, or if hotel accommodations nearby are scarce.

They are usually mailed four to six months before the wedding. The cards can be handmade or printed by a stationer. While they are usually less formal than wedding invitations, save-the-date cards create the first impression that your guests will have of the wedding, so you want them to reflect the style of the event.

But even if you are having a traditional wedding, you can express yourself in creative ways, such as by making a save-the-date reminder in the form of a refrigerator magnet. For a formal event, the cards can be worded simply: “Please save the date of Saturday, the ninth of November, for the wedding of Katherine Smith to Timothy Johnson.” For a more casual wedding, you might say, “We’re getting married! Please save the date: November 9, New York City. Invitation and details to follow,” with your names below. You may put only the essentials on the card, or you might include more information, such as accommodation and travel details, to help guests get started making their plans. Save-the-date cards do not require a reply; you can include a phrase explaining this to your guests and also letting them know that the invitation will follow. No doubt a few guests will respond anyway, telling you how much they liked your card and that they look forward to joining you at the wedding.